New technology is today helping to provide solutions to these challenges. Key among these technologies is GIS.

Water Utilities: GIS has Changed Have You?

GIS is not new. It is a technology which today is undergoing dramatic changes. Changes which are making it easier to afford, access and use. So what are these changes?

Cloud Based GIS is a Game Changer

Gone are the days when you as an organization need to deal with the complexity and expense of setting up and hosting a GIS internally. Cloud based GIS is now here. That means others maintaining your GIS, simply set up a subscription to Esri’s ArcGIS for example and go. Its as simple as that. GIS subscriptions are very affordable even to the smallest utilities. Internal staff are no longer required to maintain and update your GIS. Maybe most importantly it has never been easier to administer a GIS and publish maps.

If cloud based GIS solutions are not your cup of tea, with releases like Portal for ArcGIS, you can now host your own version of ArcGIS Online inside your firewall.

No More Data Silos

We once lived in a world where authoritative data was hard to find. Reliable water main data was over here, updated valve inspection data over there. A GIS provides a central system for all your data. Your organizations authoritative data or system of record. Anybody in your organization who needs access to any asset or asset related data can simply access your GIS.

Mobile Maps, Mobile GIS Apps

Mobile devices – smartphone, and tablets – are transforming society. Today we all carry miniaturized computers, which know through GPS where they are at all times. Apps which provide interactive maps are extremely popular. GIS not only provides maps, it allows water utility field staff to better get their jobs done.

We have been building a simple asset management mobile ArcGIS application for utilities which works both online and offline, is configurable and runs on any device and any platform (Apple, Android, Windows). Its an elegant solution for those who are looking to move away from ArcPad or cannot afford enterprise GIS asset management platforms.

New Configurable Applications for Water Utilities

There has been a new move in the world of GIS to provide focused, targeted configurable applications. Esri have been particularly busy here. ArcGIS for Water Utilities is a suite of applications designed to solve specific challenges. Whether it is tracing illicit discharge, finding polluters, analyzing water loss, responding to emergencies, generating water reports or connecting with customers. There is an easy to set up application designed for that purpose.

We have been working with a number of utilities helping them take advantage of these solutions.

GIS has come a long way in the last 2 years. More affordable, easier to access and use. If you are not actively using GIS and the new tools available to manage your water utility, you are missing out on a crucial time and cost saving technology.

Mobiles are everywhere. Smartphones, tablets, even these new ‘somewhere in between’ phablets. They are cheap, come with amazing additions (GPS, camera, compass etc) and most importantly can be loaded up with an incredible assortment of apps. Go to the various app stores and the selection is amazing. Add to this those ever more popular Web apps, opened in your mobile browser, and things become almost overwhelming. Mobile technology has changed our world. Look around you and see how many people have their noses in a mobile.

GIS Transforming Data Collection

This post is focused on how location technologies like GIS in combination with mobiles are transforming how we gather and share data. We can split data collection into 3 distinct phases:

Phase 1 – Paper-based Data Collection

Pen and paper was once the only option we had to collect data. Forms, notes, addresses, maybe with the addition of a picture here and there. With the advent of the computer age, this data was then manually, and painfully, input into an organizations computer system. Sometimes stored centrally, but most often with a department. Inaccurate, time consuming, and isolated (stove-piped) were the common outcomes. But there were few other options.

Phase 2 – The First Mobile devices and Local Storage

Phase 2 saw a big shift. Slowly we began to see the emergence of mobile technology “technology to the rescue”. Hand held electronic devices started to emerge. There were two stages in this evolution:

Stage 1 – Trimble and other hardware providers began releasing Windows based handhelds. These were ruggedized devices designed specifically for field use. Included were inbuilt sensors providing high accuracy GPS, also data collection software packages like ArcPad. But price was a barrier for many organizations, with middle to high end solutions costing potentially in excess of $10,000.

Stage 2 – In the late 2000’s there began to emerge lower cost mobile devices. Apple, and Google produced operating systems to compete with Windows (iOS and Android respectively), and a slew of manufacturers began churning out smartphones and tablets. The new mobile era was upon us. Tech driven data collection just became much cheaper. But limited.

In the early days of mobile the focus of data collection was on local storage. In GIS speak that means loading your mobile up with a shapefile, editing that shapefile while in the field then, when back in the office, downloading that shapefile to your PC, maybe combining your edits with others manually. This was no doubt better than paper-based methods, but still manual elements remained as did the dangers of stove-piping (this is our protected departmental data).

Phase 3 – Cloud based Mobile Data Collection

2015 marks the popular emergence of cloud based mobile data collection. Translated that means low cost automation of the data collection process. Two key elements make this era transforming.

2) Authoritative data – No more stove-piping. With cloud based mobile data collection, all data is pushed to one central data source. This is the organizations system of record. Anybody in the organization who needs data knows how and where they access the managed, reliable, current source.

We discussed in a recent blog post entitled Wondering what a successful ArcGIS Implementation looks like? how we helped a real estate company eliminate paper based data collection with the cloud based ArcGIS Online. As the company CEO said “finally our agents are true salespeople and not data entry secretaries”. The data collection workflow is shown below:

Agents using smartphones and tablets with Collector for ArcGIS or GeoForm are collecting data about new properties for sale: land area, features on the land etc and images, and with the click of a button uploading all that data to the company ArcGIS subscription. From there the new listing is shared with others within the organization and pushed to the company web site and public listing services.

There are some intriguing possibilities now for those looking to improve how they collect data. We find paper-based and shapefile ‘local’ methods are still in use. But new low cost cloud based mobile data collection solution’s are now here.

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2015/09/10/gis-transforming-data-collection/feed/0What are your Best Options for Collecting and Synchronizing GIS Field Data?http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2014/03/19/what-are-our-best-options-for-collecting-and-synchronizing-gis-field-data/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2014/03/19/what-are-our-best-options-for-collecting-and-synchronizing-gis-field-data/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 22:15:14 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=805A question we often get asked is “What are our best options for collecting and synchronizing GIS field data?

Until recently this was a difficult question to answer, particularly for those with tight budgets. Today there are some a slew of potential solutions available.

Hardware and Software in 2014

Once mobile data collection required high priced Trimble units and complex software such as ArcPad. Though still in use, these technologies now have lower cost, simpler competitors. For hardware, smartphone and tablets are ubiquitous. They are low in price and easy to use. With built in GPS, and optional high accuracy external GPS units, these devices are replacing their more costly mobile rivals and expanding the number of users able to collect location based field data.

For software, developing custom data collection apps has never been quicker or easier. WebMapSolutions have released a mobile online/offline data collection app for Android and iOS targeting non-GIS users. Others, including Esri, are also releasing new mobile data collection and editing apps.

Cloud GIS Solutions = Private or Public Data Sharing

It was once the case that organizations needed expensive geo-spatial server licenses, and the overhead of setting up and hosting these servers to allow access to published data. Those days are gone. New cloud based services have made things cheaper and easier. As an example, Esri’s new cloud based ArcGIS Online platform provides a new way to publish, manage, and control access to geo-data. Its easy now to provide public GIS data such as parks, recreation areas, emergency facilities etc, and protect private data with login or access control mechanisms using Geoserver.

Web and mobile application are also now simpler to build. The Esri concept of the web map means no more overhead of working with multiple ArcGIS server endpoints. Easy access to data for both mobile and Web apps means the range of possibilities are almost endless for the development of GIS solutions. At WebMapSolutions we are now building an increasing number of GIS applications targeting non-GIS users.

Secure Data Solutions

For many organizations data security is a big concern. We have been working with a number of clients who need all their data behind their firewall. For mobile apps this has meant using VPN and accessing data from on-premise versions of ArcGIS Server or ArcGIS Portal; the non-cloud based version of ArcGIS Online. Mobile apps which access secure data as no more complex to build than their cloud based cousins.

Open Source Options

For those with tight budgets there remain many low cost and open source solutions. We are big fans of Geoserver; an excellent open source spatial server. Whether hosted in the cloud or on premise, this solution provides very advanced functionality. Leveraging open source development libraries such as Leaflet we have built a range of advanced geo-spatial solutions for a number of clients using Geoserver.

Field data collection has become considerably easier and cheaper. The methods are being replaced by new more efficient collection, synchronize and collaboration solutions. If you have questions feel free to give us a call or email us, we’d be happy to help.

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2014/03/19/what-are-our-best-options-for-collecting-and-synchronizing-gis-field-data/feed/0Very Interesting Survey on ArcGIS Onlinehttp://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/11/18/very-interesting-survey-on-arcgis-online/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/11/18/very-interesting-survey-on-arcgis-online/#commentsMon, 18 Nov 2013 15:39:39 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=622Last week we were one of the sponsors of the excellent South West Users Conference (SWUC), here in Salt Lake City. One of our activities at the conference was to conduct an informal attendee poll. Nearly one third of attendees responded. It proved to be a very interesting survey on ArcGIS Online. We asked 4 simple questions; the results are below:

The results were fascinating, and a big change from similar surveys around ArcGIS Online we have done in the past. Just over 50% of respondents were actively using ArcGIS Online, and nearly 80% of those not currently using the platform have future plans to start using ArcGIS Online. This is a big jump since last year. On the mobile side just over 50% were using some type of mobile GIS app. The type of apps were mixed, a number are using Esri mobile apps most notably Collector. ArcPad remains popular. Avenza was mentioned a number of times which we suspect is their PDF Maps Mobile app.

The adoption of ArcGIS Online has been rapid. That is great news for companies like WebMapSolutions who are focused on helping clients take advantage of this new platform. We will talk more about SWUC in a later blog post; we thought it was a great success.

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/11/18/very-interesting-survey-on-arcgis-online/feed/0Searching for Low Cost GIS Data Collection Solutions?http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/10/23/searching-for-low-cost-gis-data-collection-solutions/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/10/23/searching-for-low-cost-gis-data-collection-solutions/#commentsWed, 23 Oct 2013 20:09:24 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=577We are often approached by new clients who are searching for low cost GIS data collection solutions. It was once the case that data collection:

1) Required specialized, expensive equipment
2) Needed GIS trained staff
3) Cost a small fortune
4) Was often delivered in varying formats or required additional work to make use-able.

Thankfully those days are now gone – though you will still find some (expensive providers) trying to pursued you otherwise. So what has changed?

Low Cost Mobile Devices

Once upon a time the only mobile hardware one could buy – see Trimble, F4 Tech etc – were expensive and highly specialized. Costing many thousands of dollars a unit, these were once the work-horses of mobile GIS data collection. Today all that has changed. Grab an iPad; install a low priced mobile GIS app and you are good to go.

No More Need for Specialized Mobile GIS Training

Esri’s ArcPad is cool software. It comes with every bell and whistle you could ever wish for to do data collection. But, ArcPad demands specialized training for GIS savvy staff. Workflows are also challenging; involving often multiple steps. As mobile GIS application development becomes easier so mobile apps provide simpler workflows and are built for both GIS and non-GIS users.

Low Cost Mobile GIS Apps

With ever tighter budgets, the demand for low cost data collection solutions is ever greater. Sure data collection can still be costly, but far less than was once the case. WebMapSolutions have just released a mobile offline GIS data collection solution. The application is integrated closely with Esri’s ArcGIS, and runs on both iPad’s and Android tablets. With simple workflows the application is designed for both GIS trained and non-GIS field staff. It allows point, line and polygon editing and supports image attachments. Priced to fall within the budgets of both small and large organizations; the mobile app can be seen demonstrated in the video below:

Searching for Low Cost GIS Data Collection?

Give us a call on 801-733-0723, we may well be able to help.

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2013/10/23/searching-for-low-cost-gis-data-collection-solutions/feed/2Reflections on CalGIS 2012 & Mobile GIShttp://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/04/16/reflections-on-calgis-2012-mobile-gis/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/04/16/reflections-on-calgis-2012-mobile-gis/#commentsMon, 16 Apr 2012 21:52:55 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=225
Just back from CalGIS in Sacramento. An interesting two day conference. Our presentation; ‘Is mobile the Future of GIS?” was one of the last sessions on the Friday. Its a shame since we gave an overview of the mobile market space; in hindsight it would have been better positioned early in the conference. Even so, we still managed a good sized audience.

The conference was made up of a cross section of GIS focused organisations across the state; both public and private. We were interested to see which themes were most discussed, and gauge where mobile fits into a traditionally web/desktop GIS focused conference.

GIS WorkFlows

The discussion of simple workflows dominated many discussions. Both in casual conversations and as part of presentations. How do we provide users an easy way to get their tasks done, was often repeated. Avoiding overhead and unnecessary steps. We heard criticism of the training needed to work with tools like ArcPad. Hide the complexity. Make apps intuitive, design them with as few steps as possible to arrive at an outcome or solution.

Open Source GIS

Open source GIS is alive and ever more popular. The keynote mentioned the work the State of California is doing to build open source GIS solutions. Conversations with LA County and 34 North showed both how popular and robust open source GIS tools have become.

Google GIS

Another GIS conference with a Google presence. Josh Livni gave a very interesting presentation on geospatial Google solutions. To paraphase Josh; we aren’t GIS solutions providers, but many of our solutions come pretty close.

Mobile GIS

Apart from Farallon Geographics, we were the only company to focus our presentation wholly on mobile GIS. Most presenters mentioned mobile in passing. Data collection was the most common mobile use case. Mobile adoption in the GIS sector has proved slow. In part due to mobiles relative newness, which has created various levels of confusion. This was confirmed from all we saw and heard at the conference.

GIS or Location Based Solutions?

It was hard to resist; repeating our thoughts on retiring the term GIS. We raised the question a number of times. Not to irritate, simply to gauge opinion. Others are beginning to agree that the term GIS does not capture the true core of what we all do; provide location based solutions!

Thoughts

Overall, this was a well attended, most interesting conference. It reinforced the path we have followed as a company. To build low cost custom location focused mobile apps which provide simplified workflows. We see mobile presenting huge opportunities to the location focused (GIS) sector. As we discussed in the final slide of our presentation. Mobile brings:

1) Context – i can now see live, while in the field my location/GIS data
2) New users have started using location tools. This user base will continue to expand.
3) New tools can now be built which take advantage of mobility and context.
4) The markets for location apps will expand.

Widespread adoption of mobile location apps remains consumer focused with the likes of FourSquare. This is beginning to change. Companies like ours will continue to expand as clients come to us for an increasing range of location based mobile app solutions.

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/04/16/reflections-on-calgis-2012-mobile-gis/feed/1Mobile Geospatial Solutions – Transforming the Work Placehttp://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/03/02/mobile-geospatial-solutions-transforming-the-work-place/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/03/02/mobile-geospatial-solutions-transforming-the-work-place/#commentsSat, 03 Mar 2012 00:27:16 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=192
This article was originally planned to be titled ‘Mobiles in The Work Place – The End of Pen & Paper?”. A little narrow we thought, let’s broaden the focus and discuss more generally the potential impact of mobile in the work place. Examples will be taken from the engineering sector.

Mobile computing is not new, the likes of Garmin and Trimble have been in the mobile marketplace for years. Their emphasis is geographic; so mobile maps and Geographic Information systems (GIS). ESRI’s ArcPad has been one of the more popular mobile software packages running on these mobile devices; Windows the most widely used mobile platform. The standard work flow had been wait for Windows XP on your Trimble abc to load, open ArcPad and off you go. A handful of companies once controlled the mobile market. Costs were as a result high; $500+ for software, and $1000’s for the hardware. But those days may soon be over. With the advent of the so called ‘mobile revolution’, mobile costs have fallen dramatically. The launch of the IPhone and IPad have heralded a new era of mobile availability; hardware, platforms and apps. Smartphones and tablets have become very popular. In many ways 2012 resembles 1996 with the Internet. Consumer led, and over-hyped, yet with the potential to change how we live and work.

The geospatial sector has always been a niche. Mention that you develop or work with GIS apps, and you will get a blank stare. Geospatial has always been on the edge of main stream computing. With the popularity of the Internet, geospatial software tools moved from the PC to the Web. Google gave us widely available Web maps in 2006, plus so called API’s for developers to build their own geo-focused apps. Traditional GIS vendors like ESRI moved their offerings forward. The release of ArcGIS was an important milestone. Many others jumped into the mix; Yahoo, Bing. We’ve moved from famine to a feast of potential geospatial solutions. The boundaries between the geo-solution providers has become confusing. These boundaries will increasingly blur, thanks to mobile.

Geo-Mobile Solutions

So a new computing revolution seems to be upon us. Just as the Internet changed our world, mobile may have a similar impact. Mobiles increasing popularity moves geospatial from computing’s periphery, to front and center. Applications running on mobile devices which know where we are, and can discover and display what is around us are proving to be very popular. So where is mobile in early 2012; consumer led, with business’ slow to follow. The games category in each of the mobile app stores remains the most populated and popular. This will change. Widespread business adoption will transform the mobile landscape we know today.

As a geo-focused mobile application development company, we spend most of our time applying mobile technology in the work place. From this work, a number of common themes have surfaced; simplifying work flows, accurate and efficient data collection, on site search and discovery, organization and collaboration. It is worth spending time discussing each of these areas.

Mobile GIS – Simplifying Work flows

As we have said, there are some excellent mobile software packages available. They each provide mobile workers a plethora of tools to get their jobs done. Too many tools, some say. How so? One client said:

“We train our staff to use specific functionality in ArcPad. It takes a while to learn. Losing staff, and having to train new hires is both frustrating and expensive. If only we had a simpler mobile app which provided a work flow designed for our need”

Let’s expand on this and look at an example in the pipeline industry. When pipes are buried, an area or easement, is set aside a fixed distance on each side of the pipe. The easement has to be inspected/surveyed at set time intervals for encroachment. Building and vegetation growth are most common. When undertaking this type of work pipeline companies have been faced with a number of choices:

One company we spoke to use Trimble mobile devices with a highly customized version of CartoPack for their field work. They needed easement inspection functionality and looked at extending further CartoPack, but were put off by the added complexity and considerable cost. After much discussion they decided to adapt ArcPad to provide the required functionality. The final solution worked, but the process of getting there proved challenging. Their reflections were:

1) Having a single tool which provided just the required functionality would have been the preferred solution
2) ArcPad worked but the work flow is complex. The software has too many menus and input areas. Staff need to be trained to navigate this complexity.
3) The process is expensive. The Trimble GeoXH costs around $6000, plus customizing ArcPad took longer and cost more than anticipated. There were many unexpected roadblocks extending the software.
4) Accuracy is an important part of this process. Sub meter readings are needed. Devices like the Trimble GeoXH provide this level of accuracy. Ideally we would like to use cheaper hardware which provides high level of accuracy, with a custom, functionally focused mobile app.

An additional part the companies easement inspection process is a second inspection. This serves to both verify the first inspection and add additional data; including new attributes and photos. The second inspection currently uses different software tools and is not integrated with the central data store from the first inspection. Time has to be spent combining the two data sets. They mentioned if they could use a single mobile app for the first and second inspections and automatically update a centralized data source, they would save much time and cost.

Another example of complex work flows is provided by Gateway Mapping in Utah, who offer excellent geo-software used by engineering companies. But the difficulties using their software, sometimes requiring 18 fields to be populated before tasks can be completed, is both frustrating and time consuming for users.

The new mobile revolution gives us the ability to build light-weight custom mobile apps which provide the required work flows without overhead. Easy to learn and easy to use. The days of few companies controlling the mobile space will soon be over.

Tablet & SmartPhone GIS – Collaboration & Sharing

The word collaboration in a computing sense often brings video-conferencing to mind. That is certainly something easily done with mobile devices. But there are many ways we can share information in real time, or near real time. One question often repeats itself from clients: how do we share field data with office workers? Let’s take the approach mentioned in the previous section, digital data collection, and extend this discussion. Map annotation tools are common on the geoweb. The ESRI Flex viewer for ArcGIS includes a very nice widget which allows users to add shapes, lines and text to a map. The widget also allows users to store this data as a text file, and open/render these text files. Thus one users annotation can be shared with others. Extend this to mobiles. An engineer is coordinating building work with owners and contractors. She is on site using an Android Galaxy tablet mobile annotation app; the equivalent of the tool in the Flex viewer for ArcGIS. Her annotations file is being shared with her office based boss in near real time. This form of sharing and collaboration is now quite possible. We have been developing these types of applications for clients. Combine this type of data sharing with text and video conferencing software and you have some very powerful decision making solutions.

Mobile Replacing Pen & Paper – Data Collection

Sounds a little dry and boring ‘data collection’. But let’s put things in context. Whenever we are out of the office working, how do we record work related information? Most commonly with pen and paper. Maybe throw in a paper map to mark the spot; ‘broken pipe here’. If we are really sophisticated we might resort to an automated phone system, along with a bewildering selection of menus; ‘for broken pipe select 2′. For visual records we carry a digital camera; ”photo 1 is broken pipe 1 marked on map, with notes on said pipe somewhere in my notepad’. You get the idea. Laptops are sometimes used in an effort to simplify this work flow. Not the most convenient solution, but an improvement on pen and paper.

Construction management is important in many engineering projects. Documenting progress, gathering photo records, collecting data on project features and existing features. Much of this data collection is being done in the field. Returning to the pipeline business. When a pipe is being laid, ongoing information is being gathered on site. Again information related directly to the pipes; the position of valves and joins, and information on the surrounding area. Currently, this data is stored in both a digital and non digital ways. Let’s imagine an improved system. All field engineers have IPads. They have a pipes layer overlaid on a satellite base map, this is a visualization of the pipeline being laid. The attributes of each 40ft section of pipe laid is recorded using an IPad app, and sent dynamically back to a central GIS. Photos, taken with the IPad and stamped with time and lat/long, and other records are attached to this attribute data. Additional notes are also taken, maybe where the pipeline crosses utilities. Imagine the mobile app can not only record and update data relating to the the pipe layer directly, but also related information. New mobile tools to collect this data, central storage and access to all this data, will transform the working life of civil engineers.

Mobile Geospatial Intelligence – Search & Discovery

Last week a water pipe broke in the street of the parents of a friend. The resulting geyser drew a crowd. City engineers were soon on the scene. It was 5:30pm. Tracing and shutting all valves feeding the broken pipe was the engineers challenge. Out came a 2″ thick book which was thumbed through by the chief engineer. Orders and directions were barked, between more thumbing. By 6:30pm all valves had been closed saving, only just, two basements from flooding.

Let’s imagine a different scenario. The chief engineer on arrival pulls out his IPad, instead of his thick book. He opens a geospatial mobile app, adding water pipe and related layers to a map viewer. He then runs a query based on current location, close to the broken pipe, against these layers. A GIS processes the query and returns the locations of all valves required to be shut. These are then displayed on the map, and shared with the crew. Imagine the improvement in time and efficiency following this second scenario. We now have this technology.

Mobile GIS – Organization & Coordination

We’ve been quite impressed with CityWorks; a GIS-centric asset management system. Work tickets are at the heart of their system. So ticket generation (a bulb needs replacing at xy street), ticket distribution to field crews (fix bulb at xy street), feedback/updates (light fixture broken needs fixing before bulb replacement can take place), associated information (picture/notes on light fixture), generation of new or related work orders (light fixture needs fixing at xy street).

CityWorks is a server solution, one which sits on top of ArcGIS. It is now possible to write custom mobile apps, running on the newer mobile platforms, which connect to CityWorks. As an example, the video below shows Freeance Mobile for CityWorks:

It is worth noting that CityWorks is not a cheap solution. But building mobile applications which connect to CityWorks and similar systems is now both easy and inexpensive. These types of systems should make the coordination and organization of field crews far easier.

Summary

In summary, we are in the midst of a mobile revolution; currently consumer led, but soon to be transformed by business adoption. Field workers will use this new digital technology to help gather data, discover and visualize what is around them, share and collaborate in real time work related tasks and information. The mobile market place is being flooded with cheaper hardware. Mobile apps are now appearing which are task specific, and provide simplified work flows.

It truly is the end of pen and paper.

We would be interested to hear your thoughts on mobile in the work place. Contact me at rory@webmapsolutions.com

]]>http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/03/02/mobile-geospatial-solutions-transforming-the-work-place/feed/0Hot Topics in Mobile GIShttp://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/01/24/hot-topics-in-mobile-gis/
http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/2012/01/24/hot-topics-in-mobile-gis/#commentsTue, 24 Jan 2012 17:43:56 +0000http://www10.giscafe.com/blogs/mobilegis/?p=170
We recently looked back over client and potential client feedback in 2011. There were definitely some re-occurring themes. Here we summarise some of these conversations:

1) Mining

We’d like to display in a mobile map app dynamic sensor data (click on map point and its shows current data)

2) Cultural Resource Management

“Even though GPS technology has been readily adopted in the profession, it is still mostly wedded to a system of paper forms and (often) disconnected implementations of ArcGIS based map creation and non-geo-referenced photos. We’d like a mobile ArcGIS app to replace these systems.”

This reminds us of many other areas where paper and pen remain the field recording equipment of choice. Mobile apps allow users to record data using tablet based forms, and basic geo-referencing. Combine this with GIS and a wide array of tools become available. Stephens cites some examples:

“If one is recording an historic building or archaeological sites, one can take a decent resolution image, complete the form electronically, and consider view shed/buffering without juggling several devices and a handful of forms as well. I can also see value when doing a field inventory for something like a wireless tower where viewsheds and buffers are important. It would also be very useful for situations where one is doing resource monitoring (making sure a client doesn’t impact something).”

3) Natural Resources Management

“We have a diverse natural resources management program going on here, and I can see this used for several of our field activities. Particularly of interest, though, is using this for collecting survey data. We are currently doing things horribly old-fashioned: collecting GPS points and logging attribute data on paper forms in the field, then coming back to the office to download points and enter into a database.”

“We collect a few different types of data during surveys: any threatened or endangered species, all species present for certain transects, and incipient and invasive species. Spatial datasets are then updated as needed. It requires a lot of attention just to make sure data gets organized properly. For years, we’ve talked about getting a nice set of Juniper systems with ArcPad, but it’s a pretty big investment. The proliferation of mobile devices, and new mobile GIS apps, seem like a more cost-effective means of achieving similar functionality. Could you build a mobile GIS solution using the new mobile platforms?”

4) Civil Engineering

“We simply want an easy way to update our GIS from the field. To overlay pipeline and manhole layers for example on a basemap, and view on an IPad, would be a big benefit to our field crews. Mobile ArcGIS or even an open source solution maybe using Geoserver would be ideal. More than that, if we were able then to update a GIS where we see inaccuracies in both the path of the pipeline and attributes of a manhole, that would be simply huge. We would want a sanity check. Whereby any updates were processes first by our GIS administrator before they were committed to the GIS”

5) Genealogy

We want to build a genealogical tool, which allows people to make notes, take photos etc in the field of relative gravestones. Store this data, map it, and share it. Routing would be a nice addition. We wondered whether the new mobile MapQuest releases might provide us a potential solution.

6) Outdoor Recreation Mobile App

We want to build a mobile app where users can zoom to an area of interest and see local data eg lake depth, camping facilities etc. We’d like users to be able to make notes and store them for later reference. eg. on 27th Dec I caught a trout at this location at this depth etc.

7) Invisible Car Dealer

When are new/used car searching. We want a mobile app which when turned on loads the dealerships within a certain distance. Select a dealership, allows users to browse cars on the lot. Routing to and between dealerships would be a nice addition

8) Political Campaigning

Current systems used by both political parties are archaic. Canvassing is critical in campaigning .. see blog article from this conversation:

http://www.webmapsolutions.com/android-ipad-political-campaigns

9) Fibre Optics

We use BlackBerry Playbook. We would love to have the ability to overlay our fibre lines as layers on a mobile map. Both online and offline.

10) Forest Management

A big challenge for us is viewing data in an offline mode. Tree cover may reduce GPS accuracy. Viewing and recording data while in the field will make our field workers life so much easier.

11) Agriculture Pest Control

We would love to see areas marked on a mobile map or mobile ArcGIS, which show the extent of an area last treated with a particular (pest control) chemical. So simply layer overlay. Updating this data when a new treatment is done would be the next need.

In terms of volume of requests, 2011 saw inquiries rise dramatically. The approaches came from many different sectors. Field data visualization and recording were overwhelmingly the most common themes. Many clients were looking at mobile GIS for the first time, and in many cases were looking to build proof of concept type mobile apps. Mobile ArcGIS was the most popular technology request, but we also received many approaches about potentially cheaper open source mobile GIS solutions.

As 2012 begins we see the interest in mobile ArcGIS and mobile GIS in general continuing to grow.

Mobile GIS in Archaeology and Historical Preservation

Cultural Resource Management relates to archaeology and historical preservation. We had a recent email from somebody working in this area – thanks Stephen – who discussed how mobile applications, particularly those which utilize GIS, would be a huge help.

Stephen sees an important place for mobile GIS apps in the world of archaeology and historical preservation. He writes:

“Even though GPS technology has been readily adopted in the profession, it is still mostly wedded to a system of paper forms and (often) disconnected implementations of ArcGIS based map creation and non-geo-referenced photos”

This reminds us of many other areas where paper and pen remain the field recording equipment of choice. Mobile apps allow users to record data using tablet based forms, and basic geo-referencing. Combine this with GIS and a wide array of tools become available. Stephens cites some examples:

“If one is recording an historic building or archaeological sites, one can take a decent resolution image, complete the form electronically, and consider view shed/buffering without juggling several devices and a handful of forms as well. I can also see value when doing a field inventory for something like a wireless tower where viewsheds and buffers are important. It would also be very useful for situations where one is doing resource monitoring (making sure a client doesn’t impact something).”

Mobile GIS in Natural Resources Management

Another recent conversation we have had revolved around natural resource management:

“We have a diverse natural resources management program going on here, and I can see this used for several of our field activities. Particularly of interest, though, is using this for collecting survey data. We are currently doing things horribly old-fashioned: collecting GPS points and logging attribute data on paper forms in the field, then coming back to the office to download points and enter into a database.”

“We collect a few different types of data during surveys: any threatened or endangered species, all species present for certain transects, and incipient and invasive species. Spatial datasets are then updated as needed. It requires a lot of attention just to make sure data gets organized properly. For years, we’ve talked about getting a nice set of Juniper systems with ArcPad, but it’s a pretty big investment. The proliferation of mobile devices, and new mobile GIS apps, seem like a more cost-effective means of achieving similar functionality.”

Mobile GIS in Civil Engineering

Finally civil engineers are looking for solutions to improve how field workers record and update data:

“We simply want an easy way to update our GIS from the field. To overlay pipeline and manhole layers for example on a basemap, and view on an IPad, would be a big benefit to our field crews. More than that, if we were able then to update a GIS where we see inaccuracies in both the path of the pipeline and attributes of a manhole, that would be simply huge. We would want a sanity check. Whereby any updates were processed first by our GIS administrator before they were committed to the GIS”

Mobile GIS Solutions

With an increasing number of these types of inquiries, we have been looking at the implementation of solutions. The link below is to a video showing an online/offline feature editing solution:

We are actively looking at building GeoMobile for Geoserver (we already have released GeoMobile for ArcGIS), an open source mobile GIS viewer. Feature editing as described above will be an important consideration.

Go to our contacts page and let us know the challenges you are facing in the field viewing, editing and adding new data.